Celebrating One Year of Cheviot Learning Trust: A Year of Success and Growth

It’s hard to believe that we’re already celebrating the first birthday of Cheviot Learning Trust! As we look back on this milestone, it’s clear that there’s a lot to celebrate. 

From the outset, our focus has always been: to ensure every student thrives academically and personally across all 18 of our schools.

A Year of Achievement

Cheviot Learning Trust was founded with a vision to build a robust family of schools that share resources, expertise, and a commitment to excellence. Over the past year, we’ve seen improvements in teaching standards, curriculum development, and student outcomes. The work from the Trust and all our employees has allowed for our schools to provide safe, nurturing environments where children can develop their skills, confidence, and curiosity, laying the foundation for successful learning.

Despite facing various challenges, the Trust has grown stronger, united by a common purpose—to make a real difference to the lives of young people. 

Ofsted and SIAMS Reports 

From our first year as a merged Trust, we had a total of nine Ofsted inspections - all of which received positive results, not a small feat! In addition, some of our Church of England schools received positive SIAMS reports, reflecting on their commitments as well. 

School Improvement 

We are very proud of the things that our Trust has been able to support with and provide to strengthen our schools and the quality of education delivered to students. 

Talk 4 Writing 

The Talk 4 Writing initiative was headed by our CEO, Alice Witherow. This past year ,we had the first Talk for Writing Training Session with leaders from all the First schools and our first day back to school in September saw all First school classroom staff squeezed into the hall at Prudhoe High for the launch of the programme.  This was a full day training which has been universally welcomed by all the staff.

By the end of the two years the programme will be embedded in all our First schools giving secure foundations to speaking and writing in all our schools.

School Environment Refresh

The capital funding that the Trust attracts has enabled multiple building refurbishment projects to protect and enhance our ageing building stock. Ovingham Middle School, for example, benefited from phase one of a windows and doors replacement programme that also removed asbestos from the site and enhanced the reception entrance to school. The impact of this work has improved the learning environment for many years to come.

Curriculum Improvement 

One of the best parts about being in a Trust is the ability to work with other schools and collaborate together! 

KS3 curriculum projects are underway and this will see Middle and High schools joining forces in key subjects to evaluate and develop curriculum across several schools. 

This brings a great opportunity to our schools to work together, understand unique and alike challenges and potential solutions. 

Early Years Practice

Our schools with Early Years settings have benefited from training together to keep them updated with the best practices for early childhood development. 

The practitioners in our schools are now working in triads and pairs with an external consultant to become more skilled in evaluating early years practice.

Staff Wellbeing

As a Trust, we are an employer to over 700 individuals,all of whom impact the quality of education for our students. 

This year, we have begun to embed staff wellbeing at the heart of what we do to support our staff to thrive at work. We have engaged with Still Human to train our Trust leaders and staff and help us create a compassionate workplace environment. 

We have created a staff wellbeing charter, outlining pledges we have made as employers to our staff. 

Meeting Challenges Head-On

Of course, the past year hasn’t been without its challenges. Education, as a sector, has faced constant pressures, from curriculum changes to funding constraints and the impact of global issues on local communities. 

Our focus remains on improving and sustaining  the quality of education at every level, from Early Years to post 16. The trustees, leadership teams, and all staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that our schools remain places where students can achieve their full potential, no matter what obstacles arise.

As we reflect on this, it’s impossible not to feel immense gratitude for the efforts of our teachers, support staff, and leaders. They’ve been the backbone of this success, working diligently through every challenge to ensure our students continue to receive the best education possible.

Of course there is also a part of our workforce who give a huge amount of time (unpaid) to supporting the work of the Trust.  They are our governor volunteers.  Sitting on the Trust board or on a school governing board, these volunteers give support and challenge to the schools and the executive and have worked tirelessly to help us refine our accountability, evaluation systems and set our strategy for the next years.

Celebrating Our Successes

As we mark this incredible milestone, we’re not just looking back at what we’ve achieved. We're also taking time to recognise the people who have made it all possible. It is time to take a moment to pause, reflect, and thank every single member of our team for their hard work and dedication over the past year.

One year on we are bringing staff teams together again to share in training about wellbeing as well as share their curriculum practice. This day is a reminder that the strength of our Trust comes from the collaborative effort of everyone involved—from teachers to administrators and support staff. Each individual’s contribution has been crucial in making this first year a success.

Looking to the Future

As we celebrate this first birthday, we remain focused on our primary goal: to ensure every child receives a world-class education. The next year will bring new opportunities, as well as fresh challenges, but we are confident that Cheviot Learning Trust is in a strong position. Our commitment to continuous improvement will drive us forward, ensuring we keep raising the bar for both our students and our staff.

Here’s to a fantastic first year, and to many more years of success, growth, and transformation!